--- title: "Therapy for Police Officers · Raven Counseling" url: https://ravencounselingservices.org/police-officer-therapy description: "Private telehealth therapy for police officers: critical incidents, scrutiny, off-duty hypervigilance and shift strain. EMDR, CPT and CBT in TX, MD, MA." lang: en --- POLICE OFFICERS # For officers who carry the call home. Private telehealth therapy for sworn officers dealing with critical incidents, constant scrutiny and a nervous system that stays on patrol after the shift ends. Book on Headway →: https://care.headway.co/providers/zandria-hooks Free 15-min consult: https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact ## A job that asks you to be ready for the worst, every shift Police work asks something unusual of the human body. You are expected to stay calm in situations built to make people panic, make split-second decisions that will be reviewed for months, and then go home and be a normal parent or partner. Most officers are very good at the first two. The third one is where the strain tends to collect. This page is for officers who notice the job coming home with them. Not necessarily after one dramatic incident. Often after years of calls that each seemed manageable at the time. The first responder page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/first-responder-therapy) covers what police share with fire, EMS and dispatch. This one is about what is particular to wearing a badge. ## Use of force and critical incidents An officer-involved shooting, a use-of-force event, a fatal crash scene, a child death, a partner hurt in the line of duty. These incidents do not end when the report is filed. There can be administrative leave, internal review, sometimes media attention, and a long wait for answers. You may replay the decision a hundred times, even when you believe you acted correctly. That replay is a trauma response, and it responds to trauma-focused treatment (https://ravencounselingservices.org/ptsd-trauma-therapy). EMDR (https://ravencounselingservices.org/emdr-therapy) can help with a specific incident that keeps looping. CPT (https://ravencounselingservices.org/cognitive-processing-therapy) is useful for the conclusions an incident leaves behind, about safety, blame, or whether the public or the department has your back. ## Living under a microscope Few jobs are watched and judged like policing. Body cameras, bystander video, social media, public debate about the profession itself. Even officers who feel secure in their own conduct can end up carrying a constant low-level guardedness, a sense that anything can be clipped and misread. Therapy is a place where you do not have to defend the profession or explain it. You can just talk about what it is like to be you, in this job, right now. ## When the scan does not turn off Sitting with your back to the wall in a restaurant. Watching hands. Clocking exits. Reading every stranger. On duty, that vigilance is training and it keeps people alive. Off duty, it can make ordinary places exhausting and make it hard to be present with the people you love. The goal is not to take the skill away. It is to help your body learn it can stand down when the context changes. ## Shift work and the family on the other side of it Rotating shifts, forced overtime, court on your day off and missed holidays wear on sleep and on relationships. Many officers sleep badly for years and assume it is just part of the job. The guide to trauma and sleep (https://ravencounselingservices.org/what-trauma-does-to-sleep) explains why disrupted sleep and hypervigilance feed each other. Therapy can look at both, and at the conversations at home that keep getting postponed. ## What private records are, and what they are not Confidentiality worries keep many officers from ever starting. Here is what can be said honestly. Raven Counseling Services is a private practice with no affiliation with any police department or agency. Clinical records are kept by the practice under the same privacy rules as any licensed mental health provider. There are standard legal limits to confidentiality, and those are explained at the very start. What cannot be promised is how any particular department handles fitness-for-duty questions or what it may require of its officers. That is set by your agency's own policy. If it matters to you, look at your department's policy or ask your union representative before starting, and bring any questions to the consult. Zandria Hooks, LCSW, is EMDR trained and CPT certified. Sessions are telehealth only, for adults physically located in Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts at the time of each session. ## What officers ask before starting ### Will my department find out I am in therapy? This is a private practice with no connection to any agency. Records are kept by the practice, not your department. Whether a department can require a fitness-for-duty evaluation or ask about treatment depends on its own policies, so check those directly. Limits of confidentiality are explained at the start. ### What are the limits of confidentiality? As in any licensed practice, there are legal exceptions, such as an imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, or suspected child abuse. These are explained clearly in the first session, before you share anything. ### Do I need to be in crisis to start? No. Starting before things become a crisis is often the simplest time to do the work. Sleep, irritability and feeling on guard off duty are reasonable reasons to reach out. ### Can sessions fit around rotating shifts? Sessions are 50 minutes by video, by appointment, with evenings available. Bring your schedule to the free consult and a workable rhythm can be discussed. Rates are listed on the rates page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/rates), and you can request a free 15-minute consult on the contact page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact). In crisis or thinking about harming yourself? This site is not for emergencies. Call or text 988, or dial 911. Veterans: press 1 after calling 988. Ready to talk? RELATED First Responders Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/first-responder-therapy PTSD & Trauma Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/ptsd-trauma-therapy Trauma & Sleep Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/what-trauma-does-to-sleep READY WHEN YOU ARE ## When you're ready to begin, I'm here. Book directly through Headway, or start with a free 15-minute consult so we can find out if we're a fit. R How can we help? Not for emergencies · 988 / 911 Book a Call Free 15-min consult · via Headway or form (https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact)Call Us Directly (214) 984-3411 (+12149843411) In crisis? Call or text **988**, or dial **911**. 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